2015 Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4

Posted on 9th May 2014

There are a lot of things you expect to happen when you drive a Lamborghini Huracán. It’s a supercar, after all, capable of 202 mph and traveling from 0 to 60 mph in an estimated 2.9 seconds. It starts at more than $240,000, and it has a 602-hp, 5.2-liter V-10. You expect intimidation and excitement. The Huracán’s body is done in aluminum and so is most of the underlying structure. Architecturally, the big leap forward is the use of carbon fiber in the rear bulkhead, center tunnel, and portions of the B-pillars. The composite accounts for a 54-pound weight reduction and is part of a 50-percent increase in rigidity compared with its predecessor, the Gallardo. The carbon-fiber pieces are glued, baked, and riveted into place before getting paint. Like the Gallardo, the Huracán’s structure is assembled in Neckarsulm, Germany. Bodies arrive at the Lamborghini factory fully painted and ready for final assembly.

Another part of the Huracán that arrives in Italy ready to go is the 5.2-liter V-10 engine. Built in Györ, Hungary, the ten makes 50 more horsepower than did the Gallardo LP560-4’s V-10. A new dual fuel-injection system and revised intake are largely responsible for the power increase. According to Lamborghini, the direct and indirect fuel-injection systems work to cut emissions, add power, and improve fuel economy. No EPA figures are available yet, but the company claims an 11-percent improvement over the Gallardo LP560-4’s 14 city and 20 highway mpg figures; 15 and 21 mpg are good guesses. Economy may have improved, but this engine remains as boisterous and rage-filled as always. Even when dialed back to lower speeds, the mechanical noises of the valvetrain and accessories still come through clearly.

The Huracán comes exclusively with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Paddle shifters allow the driver to select gears, or if left in automatic mode, the transmission will try its best to keep you in the right gear without slurping down too much premium. Down on the steering wheel, at the six-o’clock position, is the so-called ANIMAswitch. Similar in concept to Ferrari’s steering-wheel-mounted manettino or Audi’s drive select, the three-mode system toggles among Strada (street), Sport, and Corsa (race) and changes transmission, engine, four-wheel-drive, steering, and suspension settings. In Strada, the steering lightens significantly, the gearbox upshifts automatically for fuel economy, the available magnetorheological dampers go to their softest setting, stability control intervenes early, and the engine’s exhaust flap stays closed until 4000 rpm. Moving to Sport or Corsa enlivens the car by changing steering effort and response, opening the muffler valves to let the engine roar more loudly, stiffening the shocks, and holding lower gears longer. In Sport, the engine will upshift on its own at redline, but Corsa asks you to command your own shifts or risk banging into the rev limiter.

In addition to housing the ANIMA switch, the steering wheel has the turn-signal switch integrated into the right spoke. Push the button left or right for a quick three-click signal, hold for 0.3 second for a longer signal. Peeking through the top of the steering wheel is the 12.3-inch TFT display that can be configured to show a tachometer, speedometer, audio info, phone functions, and navigation maps and directions. The big display handles so much that the traditional navigation screen in the center of the instrument panel has been eliminated. Controls for the various secondary functions remain on the center console, including the ignition stop-start switch and its safety cover. What we would like is a head-up display, but Lamborghini tells us it didn’t want the extra size and weight that a HUD would add, plus the windshield is at such a steep angle that the viewing surface would be compromised. There are lots of options—$5600 wheels, $14,000 matte paint, and a nose-lift system for speed bumps among them—and ticking every box on the sheet gets you within an eyelash of $300,000. (For more money, Lamborghini will further customize the car to a buyer’s specifications via its Ad Personam program.)